Schedule of January Presidential Primary Debates

As the new year fast approaches and we put 2015 to bed, the presidential election will kick into high gear on January 1, 2016. Below is a guide for the upcoming Republican and Democratic primary debates to get you set for the events coming up shortly after the ball drops. The Republican candidates will engage in two debates prior to the Iowa caucus, while the Democratic candidates will have just one debate.

Republican Debates

Thursday, January 14, 2016
Fox Business Republican DebateAired On: Fox Business NetworkLocation:North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South CarolinaSponsors: Fox Business Network, South Carolina GOPModerators: To be announcedCandidates: To be announced

Notes: The sixth Republican primary debate will likely see as few as six candidates on the main stage, relegating candidates like Rand Paul and John Kasich to the undercard round, according to criteria released by Fox Business Network on Tuesday evening. The Jan. 14 primetime debate will include the top six candidates based on the average of the five most recent national polls, as well as those who finish in the top five in Iowa or New Hampshire. Polls must meet Fox Business standards and be released before January 11 at 6 p.m. ET.

Notes: Fox News Channel announced Monday that the network will host its second Republican presidential primary debate next month in Iowa. The two-hour debate will be held Jan. 28 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, the last meeting of the candidates before the lead-off Feb. 1 caucuses. The event will air at 9 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel, with coverage on Fox News Radio, Fox News Mobile and FoxNews.com. The criteria for candidates to qualify has not yet been announced. The moderators who hosted Fox News’ kick-off debate on Aug. 6 – Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace — will return for the Iowa event.

Notes: NBC News and YouTube will co-host the January Democratic debate in Charleston, South Carolina, and Lester Holt will moderate, the network announced on Wednesday. The debate, which is the fourth of six such events, will take place on Sunday, Jan. 17, and is hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus. The debate will take place from 9-11 p.m.

Nate Ashworth is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Election Central. He's been blogging elections and politics for almost a decade. He started covering the 2008 Presidential Election which turned into a full-time political blog in 2012 and 2016.